Hoshie
Posts:134
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| 06/27/2013 04:50 PM |
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Howdy-
In reading the nice review of the Bianchi, it sounds like a good "endurance" road bike like the Roubaix.
Here's my thing (and I love how the Roubaix rides) - how many of us ride "all day"?
I do about 4-5 80 mile or greater rides every yr. The vast amount of time is my weekday 1 hr sessions and a 3 hr long ride on Sunday (sometimes 4 hrs).
I have a Scott Addict. I put 25s on it and a slightly beefier saddle than the SLR torture device it came with and it's all good. Century ride - no problem. I don't feel disadvantaged at all and still like how the thing rides even if stiff and "racy".
How says you? What's you typical rides look like and which way did you go - sport / race appropriate or something less so?
J
PS Ben - you are the outlier! Nobody I know rides a fixed gear for those kind of miles! |
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Ride On
Posts:537
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| 06/27/2013 05:55 PM |
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I think it is intended more for people who ride 3 hrs every now and then. Your typical rally rider.
They don't ride much but when they do they get in a couple of hours. So the geometry and component spec is set up for them, not someone who puts in lots of hours on a "race" road bike. |
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vtguy
Posts:298
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| 06/28/2013 08:03 AM |
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| Most of my rides are about 110 - 130 minutes divided equally among road bike (Roubaix), mt. bike (Stump Jumper) and cross bike (Cannondale SuperX). All three are comfy and fun. I live in Vermont so there are plenty of hills. |
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jrt1045
Posts:363
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| 06/28/2013 04:13 PM |
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| I find my merlin perfect. most of my rides are not longer than 3 hours, but we do have lots of rough roads in Pennsyltucky |
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Inferno7
Posts:344
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| 06/28/2013 08:30 PM |
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| I've been training for the FireCracker 50 95% MtB, 2-4 hours usually right around three hours. 6 days a week for sure. |
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C2K_Rider
Posts:173
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| 07/01/2013 01:06 PM |
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| My weekend rides are 3-7 hours with a lot of climbing (and descending!) mostly on moderately rough chip-sealed roads. I have a Roubaix S-works SL3 and love it. It is very comfortable, plenty stiff on accelerations, extremely stable on descents and light enough for the climbs. I also use 25mm tires all the time. |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 07/01/2013 02:06 PM |
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Best long distance road bike is my Strong Ti that Carl made in what he calls "Stage race." Longer chain stays, lowered BB. Super comfy for 100+ mile rides
Currently on a Masi EVO that is fantastic-- super stiff, etc. but after four hours I can tell it's not Ti or steel. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 07/01/2013 02:32 PM |
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Hoshie, I'm less of an outlier these days! The fixies look to gather dust for a few more weeks.
I'll second the ti. My two are both fairly stiff with highish BBs and steep angles and are not specifically distance bikes. Both have done Cycle Oregon (500 miles in a week). Both have seen centuries. I rode 125 miles of my first one before I started to feel the ride was getting old and I turned for home. That was alone and unsupported.
Two things I do that are becoming further form the "norm". Steel forks on all my bikes and old school aluminum rims and lots of light butted spokes (at least 32). I find steel forks a really nice fit to a stiff ti bike, that both ends of the bike seem to react the same (and very predictably) to road surfaces. And I like the feel of lightly spoked aluminum rims on rough roads. You can say I'm out of it because I have not ridden CF (further than around a parking lot) but when I listen to the complaints about chip seal at Cycle Oregon or hear the "ahhh"s when we get off it, I think "I'm glad I"m riding what I'm on!"
Ben |
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BobGolden
Posts:24
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| 07/02/2013 11:38 AM |
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Posted By Ride On on 06/27/2013 05:55 PM
I think it is intended more for people who ride 3 hrs every now and then. Your typical rally rider.
They don't ride much but when they do they get in a couple of hours. So the geometry and component spec is set up for them, not someone who puts in lots of hours on a "race" road bike.
I'm this guy. I rarely go over 1.5 on my road bike, I'm overweight (6'2", 250) and can't touch my toes straight legged.
But, I was fit on my CAAD 8 8.5 years ago and after a few tweaks I haven't touched it geometry wise since that first year. I ride mostly MTB now but when I get on the Dale it is like an old chair that just fits right. The weirdest part is the handle bar width, coming off my very wide MTB bars to the road bike feels like TT bars for the first 10 minutes, then I don't notice it anymore. It is set up pretty "normal", no big drops or unusual bar set ups.
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laurentja
Posts:122
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| 07/02/2013 05:56 PM |
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My "long" rides are between 4-6 hrs, and I always head north for the hilliest, scenic, rewarding roads around. There are countless loop variations possible; I make it up as I go along. This area is the best cycling I have had access to from my home in my life. Curving, pretty, and low-traffic.
I don't even use a computer, just a watch, but having mapped some rides I do from 70-100 often, say 2x/wk in summer.
I ride a Ridley Excalibur, or can opt for a Wilier Izoard or a Motobecane Ti. Road surfaces range from glass smooth to nasty-ass chip-seal, but most often is worn, chip-seal'ed-over good pavement. Potholes almost nonexistent. All bikes have 34-50, 13-26 Campy 10sp. |
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bobswire
Posts:304
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| 07/03/2013 10:26 AM |
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Hi Josh, I average 2-4 rides a week that run about 2-3 hrs. A couple of times a month I'll head south along the coast then stop off to visit my brother in Burlingame ,a 54 miler. I'll usually have a shoulder bag of some kind to carry extra stuff since nothing is really planned,more about how I feel and the weather. My go to bike lately has been a Merckx Corsa Extra running standard 53/39 cranks with down tube shifters and riding 25mm tires.
Bikes are mind over matter, to me it doesn't matter what bike I ride once I have it set up correctly.
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zootracer
Posts:833
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| 07/05/2013 10:40 AM |
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| I average around 2:30 hrs a day, 5 days a week, sometimes less, depending on what else is going on in my life. Unfortunately, outside of cycling, I don't have much of a life. All my rides are hilly, it's either up or down. I'm getting slower and slower, (sigh). I turn 71 this August. It's more about taking in the scenery and enjoying the ride. I've never bought a bike based on how many miles I ride. I just buy what I like and what I can afford. |
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stronz
Posts:447
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| 07/05/2013 07:02 PM |
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| Zoot I want to be like you in 21 years. |
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stronz
Posts:447
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| 07/05/2013 07:07 PM |
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| My rides are as follows: 1hr tues -fri hill repeats befoe work. sat and sun 2.5 hr rides at 20-22 mph with pals. occasional bblips onthe screen for longer rides during summer. have done 2 long rides recently 78 miler hill climb suffer fest 3 weeks ago and 95 miler yesterday flat and windy way too fast first half 24 -25 mph and 18 mph return which included a full on bonk. hey if it doesn't kill ya...
Bob that EM is sweet |
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Yo Mike
Posts:338
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| 07/06/2013 07:57 AM |
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Zoot........I want your riding schedule NOW.
I've been getting no more than 2 rides per week for the past few months. A shameful 4 rides in June, avg distance of 40.8 miles. Excuses are wettest June on record, looking after 2 houses, longer commute, just generally less free time. Hard to achieve / maintain much fitness, tho pushing the lawnmower may count as cross-training. |
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Hoshie
Posts:134
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| 07/06/2013 10:35 AM |
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Bob - great Merckx and yet another quality looking build (such a talent!) - perhaps a keeper?
Zoot - I am envious of your schedule!
J |
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jpouchet
Posts:81
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| 07/08/2013 01:18 AM |
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Average for me is not a valid number as I ride early AM training rides of 1:10 to 1:15 then switch to 3:00 to 4:00 weekend rides either road or mountain. Track sessions are completely different.
I only do two or three rides a year over 4:00.
Haven't found a bike yet too stiff or uncomfortable to ride those times. Well actually I don't ride hard tails in the dirt much any more. I have an old slalom GT hard tail that I take out once a year to scare myself in the twisty stuff. |
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nightfend
Posts:48
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| 07/19/2013 04:05 PM |
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I don't understand the endurance bike market either. All of my road bikes, including my fairly new helium which is pretty stiff, are still comfortable for the 3 to 4 hour rides I do. I have done a few centuries on my helium as well and had no issues.
About the only thing I would want in an "endurance" bike would be the capacity to run 28 to 30mm tires with some clearance. That way it could be the ideal gravel road bike. That is something my race bikes sorely lack.
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mondonico
Posts:158
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| 07/24/2013 12:41 AM |
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I must say this is one of the best topics I have read. Could only ask to add age and part of world one rides in.
Most of my rides start out of my garage and are around 20 to 50 miles. Mostly flat with a few hills. Around three to four times a week on average. Down the pike, one might say, from Zoot. Thats what makes up my average ride. Something I have done for most for the past 25 years. Some years I have done much more, some years like this year, much less.
My main bike for the last 13 years has been my Mondonico but have shared time for the past 8 years with a Litespeed. My riding style now is best discribed as old and slow.
For those who don't understand the "endurance" market. I have been riding bikes for 60 years. Some of us never raced. But some of use are just older and not flexible and maybe never have been. We love riding and want to be able to ride for 4, 5, 6 hours on the weekend and just enjoy riding a bike as fast and as comfortable as possible. I did a century on a trek 1420 alum. bike about 12 years ago. I had Vredestein Fortezza clinchers pumped up to 160lbs. Rode my ass off after a year of training so I could kick the ass of one of my riding buddies. Best ride I ever had from a performance perspective. The worst I ever felt on a bike. Just beat the piss out of me for the ride and for months before.
Now i just want to be as comfortable as possible for as long as possible. |
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LouM
Posts:28
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| 07/24/2013 03:28 PM |
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I have been riding an old (95) steel SS since exclusively since November (Not fixed. Sorry Ben). The other geared bike is collecting dust for the time being. I ride alone during the week (3X @ 1 to 2 hours). And with the club on Saturdays (~ 3-4 hrs) in the North County of San Diego. 39X16 for now. Changing to a 42X17 soon as the people are getting faster on the flats as the year moves on. No computers. No monitors. I do about 3 centuries a year. Always for fun.
Just picked up a Scott road tandem ('93 I think. 7005 Aluminum) and am building it up so the GF and I can ride once in awhile.
Retiring in Nov this year and will probably ramp up the Time In The Saddle (TITS) a bit.
It all about set up and comfort to stay on.
Lou... |
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Spud
Posts:525
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| 07/25/2013 09:53 AM |
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| My rides usually start from the house, and range anywhere from 25 to 60 miles, 2 to 3 time a week. Now if my wife wants to ride her Klein, then we head to the bike path. She doesn't like the road unless she's on the tandem. She enjoys sight seeing back there. I get to ride at home in Tucson 8 months out of the year. The other 4 months, my riding is in central MA, where I get to get into the woods and enjoy the mountain bike as well. Many more hills and a bit more oxygen here in MA. Still do most of my riding alone, with a rare group ride here and there. At 58, the days of hammerfests and town line sprints are a thing of the past. I still love to climb, yet it just takes a little longer these days to get to the top. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 07/28/2013 06:34 PM |
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As long a seat is comfortable I don't see how one would need a special bike for riding longer distances. I rent bikes all the time, just put seat at correct height and go. Easy.
Most of my once-weekly training rides are around 80-100km mark; between winter and summer the amount of climbing will vary greatly though. On top of that 4x weekly commuting about 25-28km a day. |
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